If I had to say I have a goal for 2016… well.. It would be summed up as..

STEADY AS SHE GOES.

Everything I have planned for 2016 is going to be so interesting and fun but its all about little tweeks on things we already do.. but tweeks are pretty hard to be able to say if you were successful at the end of the year.

I guess that means I need to be clear on my plans

1)I will continue to grow food on the farm, I will continue to garden what I have already, and I will expand on my gardens. I will work towards producing 5000 pounds or more for our use and I want to expand the amount of fodder produced for my livestock.

2) I will continue to have breeding programs, raise and produce 100 percent of our protein, which include Milk, Eggs, Meat and Beans, including continuing a worm breeding program (for chickens) and meal worms (for chickens) and new for 2016, NON-GMO soybean and Alfalfa grow out programs for increased protein for my layers.

3) I will continue to improve my pastures, I will continue to use all extra that are offered to me from the farmers around me, allowing me to use the ditch, allowing me to use the field edges and for wild forage.

4) I will continue to process my own food, I will continue to learn way to preserve, to use the hides, use the wool, eat nose to tail.. Waste nothing, the goal is to create and use the farm to make everything as closed loop as possible.

5) we will continue on with the home and farm reno’s that were started in 2015, we have a lot of the required items, its just a matter of finding time to do them plus as with all projects, the first cost is just that, we have figured out and quickly that every time I think I have something done in a budget, pretty much just double that sucker and it should cover the costs when finished..

Not included the Steady as she goes year goals is the Improve the farm 2016, I am so excited about this sweet plan of mine.. I have been able to almost everything on sale, either though black Friday sales, Christmas sales or boxing day sales, some of the bigger ticket items I was able to get 70 to 80 percent off on really great flash sales on amazon..

These items will be tied in to each month, I have gotten 7 of 12 books to review already, I have gotten ten of the 12 items to upgrade on projects to help make things easier or just do more. I have gotten the recipes picked, I have ordered the seeds, O my the seeds, so many seeds, I am on track for adding in another 100 plants to the farm, (this included sub-species of certain plants)

I am booked to attend events, I am booked to be speaking at local events, I am planning on taking everything I learned about public speaking last year and making sure I get better at it in 2016

Hubby and I made a plan that once a month we would get out and do a little something off the farm in 2015, while I found that some of our little off-farm trips were more costly then I had planned last year, they created awesome memories and great times were had, so we have agreed that will continue this into 2016, with the goal of once a month off the farm events, which can be as simple as hike in the woods, to going to fair, or going to concert etc.

What do you have planned for your homestead? Your goals for 2016? What do you hope to change in the coming year? or are you hoping for a steady as she goes year as well?

5 Responses to Goals for 2016- Steady as she goes!

Can’t wait! 2017 should be our “moving to land” year, so this year I will be continuing to edit what we own with this in mind and keep adding things that might be useful. We took on a new debt before christmas so getting that paid off asap is a priority, want to move debt and mortgage free. No huge plans for the garden here, just more of the same, growing what we eat. I am hoping that the mealworms will take off this year, so i can trade them for other things. Keeping on adding little side income gigs that might be able to come with us when we move. Trying to find homes for the 3 totes of knit items that just languish in the spare room :-(. Need to be more focussed on rehoming (whether selling or donating), newly finished items.

Sounds like you are going to have a good year as well Nicola, those mealworms are such interesting little guys, I like mine, so excited to see them doing well, need to add more red wrigglers to the worm bins though, they are not getting a fair shake on making them produce at their best, but its worth the work, I loved my worm bins up north in the artic, the only way to successfully compost up there.

If you want to take photos of some of your knitted items and put them up in a post on here or on the farm facebook page with contact info, (you can make a new email address for just that if you want, so that you do not get spam) I would be happy to let you do so.. it does not mean sales for sure but it might.. worth a try as they say 🙂

Only thing I ask is that I am not middle gal, that you have a way for them contact you directly.. let me know if that is something that you might like to do.

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